Course overview

Through your studies you will develop an understanding of the historical and cultural bases of the study of the media and cultural industries and their roles in modern society.

You will be instructed in the ways in which participatory access to the central sites of public culture and communication is distributed along axes of social division such as disability, class, ethnicity, gender, nationality and sexuality.

Critical and analytical thinking skills are developed in a variety of areas including the study of popular cultures. The course engages critically with major thinkers, debates and intellectual paradigms within the field and puts them to productive use.

You will be able to follow a clear culture and communication path throughout the three years of study which will culminate in a cultural studies-based dissertation.

While Media and Communications in particular is a product of our extensive and growing communications environment, the course also benefits from our experience teaching and researching both journalism and media studies from national and international perspectives.

While this course is both challenging and academic in nature, it does NOT provide vocational journalism training.

Distinctive features

Study in the Guardian's top rated School for Journalism and Public Relations (2016 and 2017)

Media modules are as diverse as Managing Media Communications, War Politics and Propaganda and Communicating Causes

Access to Erasmus and Study Abroad schemes

Careers weeks and workshops to ensure your readiness for the ‘world of work’

Year one seminars may be taken through the medium of Welsh and one third-year module is offered exclusively through the medium of Welsh

ABB - BBB. You will not need to achieve these from any specific subjects but please note General Studies will not be accepted.

Extended Project Qualification: Applicants with grade A in the EPQ will typically receive an offer one grade lower than the standard A level offer. Please note that any subject specific requirements must still be met.

You will require GCSE English or Welsh Language at grade B or grade 6. Alternatively, IGCSE English First Language will be considered at grade B. IGCSE English Second Language will not be accepted.

Selection

No interview process, offer holders will be invited to Applicant Visit days in Feb/March each year.

Tuition fees

UK and EU students (2018/19)

Tuition fee

Deposit

£9,000

None

The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees in the second and subsequent years of a course as permitted by law or Welsh Government policy. Where applicable we will notify you of any change in tuition fee by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which the fee will increase.

Financial support may be available to individuals who meet certain criteria. For more information visit our funding section. Please note that these sources of financial support are limited and therefore not everyone who meets the criteria are guaranteed to receive the support.

Students from outside the EU (2018/19)

Tuition fee

Deposit

£15,950

None

Tuition fees for international students are fixed for the majority of three year undergraduate courses. This means the price you pay in year one will be the same in years two and three. Some courses are exempt, including four and five year programmes and Medical and Dental courses. Visit our tuition fee pages for the latest information.

Additional costs

Course specific equipment

You will not need any specific equipment.

Accommodation

We have a range of residences to suit your needs and budget. Find out more on our accommodation pages.

Course structure

The BA in Media and Communications is a three-year, full time, modular course. Most modules include 12 weeks of teaching and the rest of the semester is devoted to exams and other kinds of assessment, along with the processes of marking and exam boards.

Every Welsh speaking student will have the opportunity of undertaking their first year seminars through the medium of Welsh.

The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2018/19 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2018.

Year one

Six core 20-credit modules are taught mainly using a lecture/seminar format. You will be introduced to ideas and approaches in lectures and carry out more applied and team-based work in seminars.

Year two

You will be taught mainly using a lecture/seminar format, although the tasks developed in seminars will be more ambitious. You will be expected to develop research protocols, both on your own and in groups, and will begin to experiment with and design methodological procedures (such as survey methods, ethnography, and content and discourse analysis).

By the end of year two, you will have the skills necessary to write a dissertation in year three.

Year three

Year three consists of an optional dissertation, one core module and a choice of elective modules allowing you to specialise in your areas of interest. While a number of these will be based on a lecture/workshop format, the range of teaching methods will be more diverse and involve assignments of greater complexity and challenge.

You will conduct independent research and apply theoretical ideas and approaches to practical and/or analytical work.

The University is committed to providing a wide range of module options where possible, but please be aware that whilst every effort is made to offer choice this may be limited in certain circumstances. This is due to the fact that some modules have limited numbers of places available, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, while others have minimum student numbers required before they will run, to ensure that an appropriate quality of education can be delivered; some modules require students to have already taken particular subjects, and others are core or required on the programme you are taking. Modules may also be limited due to timetable clashes, and although the University works to minimise disruption to choice, we advise you to seek advice from the relevant School on the module choices available.

Learning and assessment

How will I be taught?

Our teaching is often led and informed by our research. You will be taught in a supportive environment and assigned a personal tutor who is a member of academic staff and able to advise on a wide range of issues.

There will be multi-media and new media learning and production practices should you opt for some of the more practical journalism and media modules.

Year 1

Scheduled learning and teaching activities

20%

Guided independent study

80%

Placements

0%

Year 2

Scheduled learning and teaching activities

19%

Guided independent study

81%

Placements

0%

Year 3

Scheduled learning and teaching activities

null%

Guided independent study

null%

Placements

null%

How will I be supported?

You will have regular meetings with your personal tutor.

You will have access through the Learning Central website to relevant multimedia material, presentations, lecture handouts, bibliographies, further links, electronic exercises and discussion circles.

The University offers a range of services including the Careers Service, the Counselling Service, the Disability and Dyslexia Service, the Student Support Service, and excellent libraries and resource centres.

How will I be assessed?

A number of modules involve formative methods of assessment. These usually involve the production of proposals for research based essays (including the dissertation), allowing module tutors the opportunity to provide feedback before you embark on more substantial pieces of written work or other projects. In some cases, formative assignments will have a summative element, and form part of the overall assessment.

The School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies guarantees that for assessed work:

the marking criteria will be clearly displayed

you will receive detailed typed written comments on your text

you will receive prompt feedback and all assessed work will be returned to you within four weeks

the feedback will be explanatory and worded to help you improve

where necessary we will meet you individually to ensure you understand the feedback

NOTE: The University welcomes applications from disabled students and we may be able to offer alternative assessment methods. However, this may not always be possible, for example where performance is a mode of assessment in a performance module. Such competence standards may limit the availability of adjustments or alternative assessments, but you should refer to the module descriptions for details.

Assessment methods (2017/18 data)

Year 1

Written exams

23%

Practical exams

5%

Coursework

72%

Year 2

Written exams

8%

Practical exams

0%

Coursework

92%

Year 3

Written exams

null%

Practical exams

null%

Coursework

null%

What skills will I practise and develop?

You will acquire and develop a range of valuable skills, both discipline specific and more generic ‘employability skills’, which will allow you to:

read, analyse and synthesise complex academic texts

analyse different media texts, including word, image and sound

communicate clearly, concisely and persuasively in writing and speech

learn from constructive criticism and incorporate its insights

work both independently and as part of a team, developing a collaborative approach to problem-solving

carry out various forms of independent research for essays, projects, creative productions or dissertations

work to deadlines and priorities, managing a range of tasks at the same time

use IT programmes and digital media, where appropriate

take responsibility for your own learning programme and professional development

Other information

Global Opportunities

Studying, working or volunteering abroad as part of your university experience is a great way to broaden your academic knowledge, immerse yourself in another culture and gain skills that will be highly valued by employers. You are able to apply for placements across Europe and internationally through a number of recognised schemes as part of your degree programme.

European destinations include Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Stockholm University (Sweden). International destinations include University of Sydney (Australia), University of Ottawa (Canada), Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand) and University of Pennsylvania (USA).

Careers

Career prospects

In 2015/16, 93% of the School’s graduates who were available for work reported they were in employment and/or further study within six months of graduating.

Many graduates progress onto our postgraduate journalism, public relations and communications master's degrees and from there to various jobs in the media.